In the field of dispensing hygiene products from a stack of interfolded hygiene products, several possibilities of actually interfolding the hygiene products are known. A type of dispenser frequently encountered in the washrooms of airports, restaurants or other settings with a high frequency of customers is a dispenser from which the paper towels are withdrawn from stacks of interfolded paper towels. The paper is typically interfolded in a C- or Z-configuration and it is intended that the user, when withdrawing one of the papers from the respective dispensing opening of the dispenser, grasps the leading end of the paper and pulls it out of the dispensing opening. The intention of the Z-, V-, W- or C-shaped interfolding arrangement of the papers is that by withdrawing the leading paper, the next paper is automatically placed into its dispensing configuration. In particular, it is intended that its leading end is situated at the dispensing opening or even sticking out of the dispensing opening, such that it can be easily reached by the user.
However, this type of interfolded paper suffers the disadvantage that the leading end of the paper is not always in the right position for a user to be easily grasped. Accordingly, it happens from time to time that the user reaches through the dispensing opening and pinches the paper towels that are available there. In this situation, the user typically withdraws more than one single paper, and often pinches quite a number of papers, leading to waste of paper and untidy washrooms. This effect is particularly experienced when the stack of paper to be dispensed is squeezed into the dispenser such that the pressure on the lowest paper towels is relatively high. This situation is often encountered when the service personnel is not aware of the detrimental effects of squeezing the stack of paper into the dispenser.
In order to overcome this disadvantage, stacks of interfolded hygiene products have been suggested in which two webs, each comprising connected individual hygiene products, are provided in an interfolded manner. The individual hygiene products are connected to one another by means of tabs. Or, to put it the other way round, individual hygiene products are defined by perforating a web of material such that the individual hygiene products are connected to one another by the tabs remaining after perforation.
The two sheets are interfolded with respect to one another in a zigzag manner, such that they are substantially parallel to one another, and are provided in a nested configuration. The tabs/perforations of one web are offset with respect to the tabs of the other web.
When a user pulls the leading individual hygiene product, the respective web tears at the tabs to release the individual hygiene product, and, at the same time, the second web is forwarded to the respective dispensing opening such that its leading end can be easily reached by the user.
In other words, dispensing one sheet from one of the webs automatically feeds the next sheet of the other web into the dispensing position. A stack of interfolded dispenser napkins of this type is disclosed in WO 00/00072 A1.
However, when placing a new stack of these hygiene products on top of an almost used up stack of paper when refilling a dispenser, the same disadvantages as in the case of C-folded or Z-folded single paper sheets is experienced at the leading end of the new stack. In particular, a user, when attempting to find the leading end of the new stack of interfolded paper after the last paper of the previous stack has been dispensed, likewise reaches inside the dispensing opening, pinches a number of papers and just pulls them out. In the worst case, the user does not understand the concept of the two parallel webs and pulls out a considerable amount of paper before, eventually, both webs tear at the respective tabs and the stack is in its intended dispensing position.